I've Waited Long Enough
by Ione-Sama
Summary: This is their dance; he antagonizes her, she spits fire at him-it's their dynamic. But something's changed. The words she speaks, the things she does and the way she looks at him when she thinks he doesn't notice-it's changed him and he realizes he's no longer satisfied with just this-their playful banter. He wants more and he's waited long enough...
1. Truth

_**Hello, long time no write! I know it's been awhile but I've recently gotten married and had a baby so life is amazing but crazy busy! As a result, my other stories are on temporary hiatus; I won't be able to update very often so please bear with me; however I do want to continue writing when I can because it's a passion of mine and I don't want to give it up altogether! Just please don't expect too many frequent updates right now.**_

She took one look at him and right away she knew something was different.

Something was wrong.

The first person she thought to ask was Kenshin. But he only gave her a small sad smile and told her. "What Sano is going through isn't mine to share, Miss Megumi that it is not."

She wasn't satisfied with this answer; it wasn't even an answer! So next, she went to Yahiko. But the young boy simply shook his head and frowned. "Aw, Megumi you know Sanouske would punch me in the head if he found out I told!"

Next, she went to Karou; at this rate, Megumi was becoming more and more frustrated and—dare she say it—worried. She approached Karou that evening in the kitchen as the younger woman prepared the evening meal. After a tiny bit of small talk, she attempted to make a casual passing comment about Sanouske's 'long face' and 'how he wasn't gonna get any taller no matter how long he stood on his feet like that.'

Karou only gave her a sympathetic look and replied. "I'm afraid what's bothering Sanouske goes beyond that, Miss Megumi but he won't talk to me either. But I think it has something to do with Shogo's younger sister, Lady Mogodalia…she passed away and I believe Sanouske was the last one with her when she died."

This startling revelation seemed to both enlighten and confuse Megumi all at once. Sanouske had seen much death and suffering in his life both during his time with the Sekihoutai and since then. There had to be something more to this that had him so disturbed. All he had done since their return from Kyoto was stand out on the porch by himself, hands shoved into his pockets, head down and eyes closed. He hadn't even bothered to come in when Karou called that dinner was ready; the rooster head not eating? Hell must have frozen over!

Halfway through dinner, Megumi cast another tentative look over her shoulder to where Sanouske stood leaning against the railing. The front Shoji was halfway closed but she could still make out enough of his tall, lean form to ascertain that he had not moved so much as a millimeter. At this, Megumi felt a tightening in the pit of her stomach. _What's gotten into him? For heavens' sake he's not even aware that dinner is almost over! If he doesn't snap out of it, Yahiko's going to devour all the rest of the rice cakes! _She shook her head, pushed back her half-eaten plate and stood to her feet. Kenshin eyed her and raised his hand to beckon her.  
"Miss Megumi, I don't think…"

"Forgive me, Sir Ken but at this moment I really don't care what you think or don't think! Sanouske is acting strange; he hasn't moved since you all got back and what's worse is he hasn't even eaten a single thing! Someone has got to do something and I'm not about to just sit here and let one of my friends brood by themselves all blessed evening!" With that, she turned on her heel and marched out of the room.

"Kenshin, maybe Megumi is right." Karou's voice was low and gentle. "Maybe leaving Sano alone isn't the best thing for him right now; besides if anyone can get through to him, it's Megumi; they've always seemed to have a special bond."

"You may be right, Miss Karou that you may. I just hope that Sano doesn't push Miss Megumi away; that woman cares very much about him that she does."

Megumi paused at the half open entrance; she stared at Sanouske's back as his white jacket flapped briefly in the evening breeze. She nodded firmly to herself as if reaffirming that she was doing the right thing as she took a confident step towards him. She closed the shoji quietly behind her, suddenly wanting a moment of privacy with the rooster head. "You know if I didn't know any better, I'd say you're ill Rooster head; you haven't even thought to take any dinner. And after Miss Karou took painstaking time to make beef stew and rice cakes!" She tsked playfully but received no immediate response from Sano. After several long moments of silence she moved to stand beside him and she looked up at the twinkling night sky; the stars were so brilliant they nearly took her breath away. She suddenly wished she had more leisure moments like this. "It's so clear and beautiful tonight, don't you think?"

"No different than any other summer night."

She gave him a sidelong glance; thankful that he at least had the presence of mind to respond—as indifferent as it may be. "Oh but every night is different, unique! Especially with a sky like this…I don't think I've ever seen a sky like this since-"

"What do you want, Fox—we both know it's never been idle chat between us so just come out with it already, would ya?"

Megumi suddenly felt somewhat small and she hesitated to answer him. Perhaps if he would just look at her and not be so standoffish, she'd feel more at ease; they'd always been straightforward and direct with each other. His sudden closed off coldness did something to Megumi and she felt something akin to fear and worry bubbling up in her stomach. "Sanouske."

He opened his eyes then and turned to look at her. It was very rare that Megumi used his name and something about the smooth, sincere tone of her voice brought him out of his gloomy thoughts.

"I'm—ok I can't believe I'm saying this out loud but I'm worried about you."

At that, Sano couldn't help but crack a small smile. "Aww shucks, Kitsune, never thought I'd see the day where you would trouble yourself to worry 'bout little 'ole me; I'm touched." He snickered as he pulled out a piece of straw from his inside pocket and chewed on it absently. "Don't worry your pretty little foxy head, I'm fine, never better actually; considering everything we've gone through in the past year and yet we're all still in one piece."

Megumi snickered to herself and shook her head. "Yes, I mean other than a certain Rooster head coming into my clinic every other day because he can't seem to go a full 24 hours without breaking his hand in a fight!" She eyed him accusingly but there was a hint of good natured teasing sparkling in her eyes.

"Yeah well, someone's gotta keep things safe around here—it's not like this crappy world is getting any better."

Silence once again befell the two; the sparkly eyed, raven haired woman eyeing her tall, dark and handsome companion with traces of growing concern lingering in her brown eyes. At length, Megumi took a deep breath, folding her hands daintily in front of her. "Karou told me about your time in Kyoto…she said it was a particularly difficult journey—that there were a lot of things none of you were expecting. She said that Lord Shogo was merely a broken misguided grieving man that was misused and that he had a sister who-"

"Yeah. Lady Mogodalia, she died." Sanouske bit out in a harsh tone.

Megumi winced at the coldness in his voice. "I'm so sorry. You knew her and she was a friend of yours…"

"She was more than a friend to me."

This sudden admission caused a slight gasp from Megumi. _Sanouske? Actually had met someone who meant more than just a friend? That's…well that's something I didn't see coming. _And with these musings came a very unfamiliar feeling that crept into her heart; a feeling that unsettled and discomfited her all at once. _Could it be that I'm—jealous? Oh that's just absurd! How on earth could I of all people be jealous? And of all the things to be jealous because of Sanouske?! No, that is completely impossible! There's no way that I would ever consider feelings for someone like him! Or…or maybe it's because I know he would never think of having feelings for someone like…me? _At this, her eyes lowered to the floor and she felt a sudden lump in her throat. Despite everything that Sanouske had done for her in the past, she just couldn't shake the fact that her opium cooking had caused a young man his life and that young man was one of Sanouske's friends. Sanouske would never forget that, despite the fact that the two had slowly become friends over the last year, he would never be able to completely erase what she had done. And he would _never _look at her as a woman worthy of anyone's love especially not his own!

_So foolish of me to even think that he ever could…ugh! Not that I would ever want him to!_

…_and yet…_

"Hey…hey Fox you hear me?"

"Uh what?"

Sanouske waved his hand in front of Megumi's face. "Hey are you feelin' alright? It's like you suddenly just weren't here—like you spaced out or something."

"Oh I…I suppose I'm a bit tired and it's starting to catch up to me." She gave a half-hearted giggle tucking a few strands of raven hair behind her ear.

"Huh. Well ya know you bein' a doctor and all makes for long hour days I guess…but you really should try and take it easy ya know? We don't want you passing out on the floor in the middle of surgery or else who would there be to patch up my busted hand whenever I needed it?"

At this, Sanouske clasped both hands behind his head in a playful stance and tossed Megumi a playful wink to which she only scowled in return. "Oh you ruffian! You're not supposed to take my services for granted you know! I might just decide one day to leave you to fend for yourself with a broken hand, did you ever think about that?" She huffed turning her nose up in the air only stealing a glance at him from the corner of her eye.

"Yeah you could…but I know you won't."

"Ha! And why is that, pray tell?"

Suddenly, Sanouske turned his body fully towards her and his expression grew serious though his brown eyes still sparkled playfully. "Because you're an angel of mercy, Kitsune…it's what you do. It's what you feel you were called to do your whole life and there's no way you could turn away any injured soul in need…even if that injured soul happens to be mine." A soft lopsided grin spread across his face and suddenly Megumi felt like he was peering into her very soul.

She took a step back, feeling the sudden need to put some space between them and she muttered to herself. "Well I suppose there are worse things; you could have a twin brother who would be just as much trouble as you and then I'd have you both to contend with."

Sanouske chortled, pulling the lone piece of straw from between his lips. "Ha! Twin brother, huh I guess that'd really be something now wouldn't it."

"Well it's good to see that I've at least pulled you out of your stupor; if there's one thing I can't handle more than a loud smart-mouth rooster head, it's a gloomy sullen one!"

"And here I thought you always hated my smart comments and—how did she put it?—brute behavior." He winked at her and she laughed openly.

"Oh brute now is it? I assume the good Lady Mogodalia called you that? Well hell, I would've loved to have met her, she sounds like a woman right after my own heart—although I'm sure she wasn't nearly as pretty or charming like myself!" at this, she let out another bell-like laugh, flipping her hair over her shoulder with a flirtatious flourish.

Sano only gave her a side-long glance and shook his head, replacing the piece of straw between his teeth. "Ya know there's a hell of a lot more to a woman than just looks and charm, Fox. In my own experience I haven't met very many…but trust me, she was one of the few; she had it all, the whole damn package. Sayo wasn't just another pretty face."

Megumi sobered at this. It seemed that Sano saw her as nothing more than 'another pretty face.' Sure he acknowledged her experience as a good doctor and had many a time sent countless people her way who were in need with the words, "don't worry, we've a damn good doctor; she'll fix you up" but nonetheless, nothing more than a 'damn good doctor.' Somehow this realization dissatisfied her to the core and she only managed a weak smile and nod before turning her face away before he could see the disappointment in her eyes. After a long moment of silence, Megumi cleared her throat softly and wrapped her arms around herself. "did—does it still hurt? I mean her being gone? I don't mean to sound insensitive but…I know you didn't know her for long but I'm sure it—that is I can only imagine what it must have been like when—" She halted, sighing to herself as she watched him carefully from behind the curtain of her bangs.

"To be honest it was but now…nah, it doesn't. Besides she wouldn't have wanted me to go around moping the rest of my life; Sayo wasn't like that; she always looked at the beautiful side of things and I figure she'd want me to do the same." His trademark lopsided grin re-appeared as he looked over at Megumi but she only offered a barely audible 'hm' and continued to keep her eyes averted.

"Well I should be going, I have to close up the clinic and Lord knows I have patients that will need looking after tomorrow. Have a good night, Rooster head."

"Well it's gotta be close to midnight, I'll walk you."

"There's no need, Sanouske."

At the uncharacteristic use of his name, Sano halted and gave her a startled look. _Well that's funny; she's never used my name before…at least not since we first met and she's never brushed me off from walkin' her home. _"Well that's a first, Kitsune." He commented lightly but he noticed a subtle change in the fox's stance and in her eyes.

She had her back to him and her arms wrapped around herself like she was cold…or protecting herself from something. And though her face was turned towards him and held her classic arrogant smile, it didn't reach her eyes which were communicating something completely different. "I appreciate it but honestly how many times have we walked this short path together and nothing's ever happened! I'm certain I can make it home tonight on my own and I'll be fine." She tossed her hair over her shoulder carelessly as she turned and started to walk away.

"Now wait just a minute, the only reason why nothing's ever happened is cause any scrum wondering the streets at this time of night have gotten a glimpse of me and gotten scared half to death! Now seein' you walkin' home all by yourself and they won't think twice about trying anything!" Sano's voice had a twinge of arrogance to it as he campaigned for the benefits of her having his company; it was so typical of him but for some reason, she was suddenly not in the mood for any of his self-serving banter and she stopped suddenly and whirled around to face him.

"Look Sanouske, I know it just thrills your ego to think that a poor, pathetic kitsune like me would actually want your gallant company in escorting me home but in all honesty I never asked for your charity so do us both a favor and stop trying to patronize me; we both know you only do it so you can get a pat on the back." She tried to keep her voice somewhat leveled in the tone of their typical banter but unfortunately, her feathers had been ruffled far too much for one night and maybe her own ego had been a bit bruised.

Sanouske halted his advancing steps and just stared at her. He could immediately tell that she was suddenly in no mood for his smarting comments and he spotted something akin to hurt in her eyes; it confused the hell out of him. "Okay easy, Fox! I didn't mean anything by it and I certainly wasn't trying to patronize you! Don't you think I know that you can't take care of yourself? Hell you've been stuck up and arrogant from the first moment we met so it's really not surprising to me."

"I don't give myself airs!" She clenched her fists and glared at him.

"Oh please, you've been riding on that high horse since day one, you've always thought yourself so high and mighty especially with me, you always think you're better than me when we both know you're nothing more than an opium-cooking self-righteous tease!" He spat out the words fast and hot, his dark eyes blazed. What the hell was with her? She had the nerve to call his attempts at being a gentleman, self-serving and arrogant; like he needed an excuse to stroke his ego!? _She doesn't know anything about me!_

Sanouske's words struck her like an icy slap in the face and her eyes widened in anger. "How—h-how dare you! I have _never _thought myself better than anyone and you know it! You of all people should know how I feel about myself. You're just throwing a fit because you can't handle it when someone calls you out for being a spoiled, egotistical, narcissistic, free-loading, selfish brute!"

Sanouske was suddenly within arm's reach of her, his fists clenched so tightly his knuckles were white and his jaw taught with tension. "Oh yeah?! Well at least I admit and own up to what I am; you don't ever hear me denying it when Karou or Yahiko call me a free-loader, I'm fine with it! I couldn't give a damn what _you _think about me, why should I care? You're just bitching and whining because Kenshin never told you goodbye that day he left for Kyoto; you're so hung up on the fact that he picked Karou over you to say goodbye to and that's what's got you so wound up, not me. And you know what? I don't blame him! Because you've done nothing but pine after the guy, making a complete idiot of yourself and acting like a spoiled child, no wonder Kenshin doesn't notice you; you're nothing more than a spoiled, sexually frustrated _cat—!"_

*_Smack!*_

The night air cracked with the sound of Megumi's hand as it connected with Sanouske's cheek in an angry slap.

The former mercenary was caught completely off-guard—blinded by his angry rant—and stumbled back as he held his now sharply smarting cheek that already sported a tiny read hand print. It stung too—bad and Sanouske could only grimace as he stared aghast at the heaving, raven haired woman.

Megumi was breathing so heavily that puffs of air could be seen as the floated on the cold evening breeze. She hadn't moved an inch from where she'd taken two strong steps forward and smacked Sanouske soundly across the face; she hadn't really been surprised by any of the things he'd accused her of in the beginning but _this—_using her unrequited feelings for Kenshin against her and how hurt she still felt at him not giving her a goodbye—that was several steps too far. "That—was too far, Sanouske. Of all the nerve…you—you're _despicable!—_I might have been able to handle the other things you said—I'm a big girl and I don't go around sniveling to anyone!—but I won't have my right to feel hurt or disregarded, thrown back in my face especially not by _you."_

Sanouske just stared at her. As the heat of their argument began to settle, his own anger ebbed away and he slowly came to the realization that she was right—he'd way over-stepped his bounds with her and he knew it.

_Damn it! _He thought harshly to himself. Why was it that she always brought out the worst in him at moments like this?! No matter how hard he tried to prove to Megumi that he wasn't the brazen ruffian she believed him to be—that he had changed—she always managed to say or do something that just got under his skin! The woman infuriated him!

Yet he could never bring himself to get enough of her—he always found himself coming back for more and this pissed him off even more. Regardless of whether or not he was willing to admit it, this fiery dynamic that he and Megumi had, enticed him and he couldn't get enough. He loved the spunk in her stance and the fire in her eyes whenever they had a verbal bout or when she would stand up to him; it was there the day he'd first laid eyes on her. She was stupid for wanting to end her life and he'd stopped her from making the biggest most selfish mistake, but there had still been that fire in her eyes—the defiance that drove her to want to end her life had both infuriated and intrigued him. That same fire still lived inside of her to this day and he couldn't deny every chance and opportunity he got to get a taste of it. But looking at her now, there was more than fire burning in her eyes, there was also shock, betrayal and hurt. It felt like a sword to his heart when he realized once again that he'd let his anger get the best of him and pushed her too far. He only hoped that he'd somehow be able to fix it; although he didn't know why, the thought of Megumi hating him for the rest of her life, was something he couldn't bear.

"Ah damn it, Meg!"

Megumi let out a small gasp as he uttered a nickname he'd never called her by before. Her eyes widened slightly when it hit her how both frustrated and gentle his voice sounded when he said it.

"We've always bickered back and forth with an understanding between us but for kami's sake you push my buttons and then I just—" He rubbed the back of his neck wordlessly and then simply hung his head muttering, "Damn it all."

Megumi waited without a word; she was still furious with him but a small part of her wanted to hear what he had to say—despite herself she was curious and when it came to Megumi, curiosity always won out.

"Look, I don't even know what the hell we're arguing about to be honest. Everything was fine until you had to go and say I'm just feeding my ego; you know if I don't wanna do something, there's nothing and no one in hell that can make me so why the hell would you go and say something like that?"

She sighed heavily and shook her head. "Look honestly, I'm very tired and—I don't think clearly when I'm exhausted like this and my mouth has a mind of its own so…can we please just forget that I ever said anything. Ok? Just—let's just go back; I left the dojo and you met me at the gate and walked me home like you always do."

"But you won't let me walk you home; that's what started this whole hot mess in the first place."

"I just…need some space right now; I'm going through some things. Just, if anyone asks that's what you'll tell them; that you walked me home."

"Ohhhh…I see what's going on you've got a huge secret that you're keepin' from everyone, don't ya?" He pointed his index finger at her and winked playfully. "I'll bet it something that's six feet, tall dark and handsome! Maybe you're tryin' to catch a little night cap eh, before—"

*_Smack*_

This time it was a hard blow to the head he received from a swing of Megumi's lantern.

"Ow! Hey what the hell was that for? I'm tryin to be a good friend by keeping your secret and this is how you repay me?!"

Megumi scowled at him, gritting her teeth together. "You always have your mind in the gutter don't you?! Typical Rooster head; I open up to you for just a moment of honesty and you have the audacity to assume—the nerve!"

At this point, Sanouske knew the best thing to do was to turn tail and run if he wanted to survive so he did just that. "Easy now, Foxy let's not be too hasty, I was just joshin' ya!"

"Come back here you no-good, egotistical pervert! I'll teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" and off the two went, one chasing wildly after the other, back to their good-natured banter, all anger and hurtful words forgotten.


	2. Chances

She gave him a sidelong glance at breakfast the next morning.

But the minute he turned his chocolate brown eyes onto her, she immediately ducked her head, hiding her eyes behind the curtain of her long, raven hair.

The little missie asked her once if she was feeling alright. She smiled brightly and assured her that she was only tired from poor sleep the previous night and this piqued his interest even more.

_Poor sleep, huh? Wonder what had her awake all night; maybe a patient?_

As if reading his thoughts, Kenshin commented on how he admired her devotion to her patients, no matter what time of day or night they needed her.

Megumi smiled but shook her head. "Well thank you, Sir Ken but shockingly, last night was not one of those nights; I just had a lot on my mind I suppose and just couldn't sleep."

Sano grinned to himself and piped up. "Ohh yeah! Must've been an awfully long night for ya, considering you had—"

A swift and painful kick to his shin from underneath the table, silenced the wild-haired ex-fighter and he could only bite down on his tongue and turn a dark glare in Megumi's direction who was 'innocently' smiling and chattering away to Karou about the upcoming Lover's Festival.

Recovering from his painful punishment, Sanouske finished the last bit of his rice pudding and stood to his feet. He stretched his tall, lean 6'1 inches frame and shoved his hands into his pockets. Well with the festival only three days away, looks like Kenshin and I have some shopping to do; this place is lookin' a bit shabby and we should dress it up a bit! Com'on Kenshin, let's leave the little missie and Fox lady to the cleaning."

Before Kenshin even had the chance to stand, Sano had him by the color of his kimono and was dragging him behind him, out the shoji. Kenshin's eyes widened as he stumbled after Sano, uttering several amusing expressions, "Oyiiiiiiiii!"

Karou and Megumi only shook their heads, laughing at the sight of the Rooster head, dragging the read-headed former-batoussai behind him, muttering, "com'on Kenshin, I'm not you're mule, ya know; jeeze you were the batoussai, a legendary swordsmen, pick up the pace will ya?!"

"Those two—they're the craziest pair I've ever seen. But everyone knows they'd lay down their lives for each other in a moment." Megumi mused out loud, receiving a nod from Karou.

"They really are inseparable aren't they? I don't think I've ever seen Sanouske quite so devoted to anyone like he is to Kenshin. He idolizes him but at the same time, Kenshin admires Sano in more ways than I think Sano realizes; Kenshin sees something in him that I think he envies."

Megumi scoffed playfully, turning sparkling eyes to Karou. "You honestly think that Sir Ken is envious of Sanouske Sagra of all people? Whatever would give you that idea, Karou?"

"Well look at them; Sanouske is reckless, carefree and has the ability to form bonds and realationships with whomever he chooses, he doesn't seem to have much of a care in the world. Whereas Kenshin is constantly looking over his shoulder, wondering how many more moments of peace he'll have before the next enemy comes seeking his life. And because of that, He knows that anyone connected to him will inevitably end up in the path of harm and I think that's why he's always so careful of how close he allows himself to become to people. Even with us, I sense that he won't go beyond a certain point—he feels that he can't afford to let himself completely open up and let anyone in, for fear of putting them in danger. …at times, I think that maybe that's why I—I can't seem to be able to tell how he really feels…"

"Seriously Karou—anyone with eyes can see how Kenshin feels about you!"

Karou's eyes snapped to Megumi's. "Oh! No Miss Megumi I didn't mean—I wasn't trying to imply that—"

Megumi waved her off. "Oh don't even try to play that game with me, Miss Karou, I can see through it plain as day; everyone can. You have extremely strong feelings for Sir Ken but you just refuse to let yourself feel them or express them! You think you're doing the noble thing by keeping it a secret from him but believe me, you're only hurting the both of you! Sir Ken's protective and loyal nature to his friends is heart-warming and his willingness to sacrifice himself at any moment is admirable but—it's foolish too! How is a life of courage and sacrifice worth living if you don't have someone to live it for? To have the will to live if it's only for yourself, that's really not living at all—it's merely surviving. And the same goes for you, Miss Karou. If you're only living to keep yourself at arm's length from anyone who could love you, how is that really living? What's the point of fighting for truth, honor and love if there's no one that you're sharing it with?"

Karou hung on every word Megumi spoke and the truth of it washed over her in waves as she realized that she and Kenshin had both been acting out of what they thought to be selflessness when in actuality they were going against the very nature of everything they claimed to believe in. Megumi was right; what was the point of them living their lives fighting for these virtues if they were themselves not living them and upholding them within their own lives? "Miss Megumi…you're right! All this time I thought that I was doing Kenshin a favor by keeping my feelings a secret—but all I've been doing is hurting him and myself; if we can't see past our own fears and insecurities, than we are simply letting the weakness and corruption we've been trying so hard to fight against, win!"

"Exactly! Finally you are seeing my point of view, I'm so glad!"

Karou smiled and flung her arms around the older woman in a tight embrace. "Oh Megumi thank you! You've always been such an honest and loyal friend, I don't know what I would do without you!"

Megumi smiled, hugging the young woman back. But then she gently pushed her back just enough to look at her. "Good. But stop your tears now you silly girl! It will get you nowhere with Sir Ken, standing here crying to me—go find him and for Kami's sake tell him how you feel! …unless of course you want me to do it for you; I can always share my own—personal thoughts with Sir Ken; we are close after all and I'd like—"

"Oh no you don't! you're not getting anywhere near him you conniving little cat!" Karou clenched her fists and her face went red with jealousy.

Megumi smiled snidely to herself; it was just the reaction she was hoping for. "Then hurry up and go after him, you ninny! I won't give you another chance!"

Karou nodded eagerly and sped towards the door. But just before she left, she suddenly skidded to a stop and turned around to face Megumi. "Miss Megumi?"

"Yes Karou?"

"I just wanted to say thank you. And I also wanted to say—don't do what I've done for so long; you deserve to be happy more than anyone and to have a man who loves you more than life itself…don't give up the chance to find it, ok?"

Megumi gasped as her eyes met Karou's gentle knowing blue ones. Karou gave her one last encouraging smile before she disappeared and as Megumi watched her hurry across the yard to the gate, her heart fluttered wildly as a pair of dark Chocolate eyes and a lopsided grin appeared in her mind; The older woman blushed as the tiniest of hopeful smiles graced her ruby red lips.

"…_Don't give up the chance, Miss Megumi…"_


	3. Kenshin's Heart, Megumi's Gift

Sanouske and Kenshin walked along the dirt path leading back to the dojo; sacks of groceries from the market were slung over their shoulders and their arms were full of asorted brown paper packages. The tall cherry blossom trees that lined the edge of the path, afforded some welcomed shade from the hot afternoon son and the two men sighed in contentment, welcoming the soft breeze that blew every now and then.

"Sano, what gave you the idea to buy decorations and special food for the festival?"

Sanouske grinned candidly at his friend. "I don't know, I just figured that with everything we've gone through over the last year, time isn't guaranteed and we should start taking advantage of peaceful moments while we still can; live a little! 'sides, I think Missie, Fox lady and the kids deserve a bit of celebration, don't you?"

Kenshin smiled warmly at his friend; despite Sano's rough exterior, Kenshin knew the young man had a very soft side and a heart of gold—he'd changed so much since the day he and Kenshin first crossed blades and Kenshin couldn't help the swell of pride he felt. "That I do, Sano, that I do."

"So. I saw you given the missie little glances this morning when you didn't think anyone was watchin' what's the deal?"

Kenshin stopped dead in his tracks, his face reddening. "Uhnothingwhatsoeversanoabsolutelynothingyouneedtoworryaboutwhydoyouask?" The usually-calm redheaded swordsmen rambled off in one breath, waving both his frantically in front of him as he did his best to throw his friend off his sudden interest in Kenshin's behavior with Karou.

Sanouske rolled his eyes. "Com'on Kenshin I wasn't born freakin yesterday, what's the deal?! Look if you're afraid that Miss Karou's caught on, don't worry. The little missie is as clueless as ever so com'on! Give your old pal a piece of your thoughts 'cuz Kami knows, I sure as hell can't read your mind."

The two men walked on in silence for a while; the redheaded swordsmen suddenly deep in thought, violet eyes pensive and serious as his taller, dark-eyed friend waited patiently, knowing on a piece of fishbone. They came to the stream the flowed along the bend and behind the dojo and Kenshin suddenly left the beaten path and stopped at the riverbank. He lowered himself to his knees and scooped up a handful of the crystal clear water, splashing his face and neck. He sighed as the icy cold droplets dripped down his neck, leaving dark water marks on the color of his kimono.

Kenshin looked up then, his eyes gazing across the river to where the distant tree line of the forest that went on forever in rolling hills that soon gave way to distant mountain ranges. "Have you ever been in love, Sanouske?"

Sano's eyes widened. He hadn't expected a question, much less one that carried so much intimacy and personal weight along with it. He contemplated his friend for a long moment before answering. "Honestly, I can't say as I have, for sure."

Kenshin didn't move his back still to Sano as his eyes remained trained on the distant horizon. "I can't say I have myself but it is for a completely different reason, that it is. I deeply care about the people of this land, I value their lives and because of that, I have never allowed myself to become involved in anyone's life so closely. I may have put away my sword for ten years, choosing to live my life as a wonderer and not as Battousai the man slayer but as you know, Battousai still has many enemies that he does, enemies that do not care that he chosen a life of peace. Anyone that I am close to is risking their very life and the lives of their loved ones, just by knowing me. This is something that burdens me every day, that it does."

"And you think it's unfair to ask anyone to share that life with you, is that it?"

"Mm. But now I can't say for certain that I have continued to live my life with everyone at arm's length. In all my years I have always been very certain of where I stood and kept those around me safely out of my life and my heart." At this, he turned to look at Sano and a sad smile shown in his eyes. "But to be honest Sano, I think this point in my life has seen me more and more uncertain of that, every day; I am not certain at all about my heart, that I am not."

Sanouske smiled a little and crouched down to Kenshin's level. "You're referring to the little Missie aren't you."

Kenshin's eyes closed and warmth spread across his face, slightly reddening his cheeks. "Miss Karou…has done so much for me since the day we met, that she has. And she never once questioned me about my past; even when she found out who I was, she never once judged me and always treated me with such kindness and gentleness, that she has. I've never been able to fully understand why she looks at me the way she does."

Sanouske threw his head back and suddenly laughed out loud. "Oh Kenshin, if you can't possibly see what everyone else can than you're a lot dumber than I ever thought you were!"

Kenshin groaned and scowled at Sanouske but the young man didn't seem to notice and only chuckled to himself. "Hell, it's so completely obvious; the little Missie has been head-over-heels for you since day one! How else do you think it makes sense? She's not blinded to who you were and what you're still capable of but she trusts you because she _loves you _and she knows that you'll do whatever it takes to protect her and the people of this land, from anything and anyone that could harm them; more than that, she knows you'll do it the right way and that you'd never allow yourself to go back to being the Battousai."

Kenshin stared wide-eyed at his companion, his amethyst eyes betraying his shock and surprise. "You—you think that Miss Karou—"

Sanouske immediately shook his head. "No. no I don't _think _Kenshin, I _know._"

The two men stood in long silence, staring at one another. Just then they were interrupted by the sound of a voice calling, "Kenshin? Kenshin!" They turned back towards the road and spotted Miss Karou off in the distance, running down the road, holding up the skirt of her kimono in one hand, calling Kenshin's name.

Sanouske smiled broadly as he picked up his large nap sack and slung it over his shoulder. "Well would ya look at that; seems that fate has it in for you and the little Missie, Kenshin—seems she's lookin' for ya right now." He winked knowingly at his friend but Kenshin sighed somewhat heavily as he stood to his full height.

"Well I'm not certain if what you say is true, Sano, that I am not; I've always seen Miss Karou take very great care of everyone who is close to her and her compassion is never isolated towards myself, that it is not." The swordsman smiled as his friend scowled at him for his lack of faith but Kenshin just couldn't bring himself to think of this—not now. Regardless of what she or he himself felt for her, the situation was not so simple as that—nothing was anymore.

"Well Sano, I just hope that your concern with myself and Miss Karou has not caused you to neglect the feelings of your own heart, that I do."

"Hey—wait what are you talking about, Kenshin?!"

Kenshin merely turned a smiling face towards his friend. "It seems to me that for someone who claims to see the obvious thoughts and feelings of others, you are quite oblivious to the desires of your own heart, Sano that you are!"

Sano stared after Kenshin, his lips parted as he watched the ex-Battousai walk ahead of him up the road to meet the little Missie. But once he joined the two and the three of them reached the dojo, he spotted the beautiful face of the raven haired bright eyed Kitsune standing on the engawa and something clicked in his head, spreading to his heart. The fighter closed his eyes and smiled warmly to himself. "…_Well I'll be. Looks like Kenshin isn't as dumb after all."_

The next three days were filled with non-stop activity. The Kamiya dojo was scoured from top to bottom, the yard was cleared and landscaped with fresh cherry blossom trees and traditional Japanese lanterns hung from their branches as well as the engawa ceiling. The inside of the dojo was decorated ornately as well with streamers, lanterns and an assortment of Japanese charms hung from the ceilings and railings that stood for Love, Passion, Lust and good fortune. Karou spent the majority of the day in the kitchen, cooking for the last two days; she and Megumi had met and discussed the menu and they'd decided that they were going to make this year's festival feast gourmet of the highest quality. Nothing would be spared expense when it came to tonight's feast and both women agreed that though extravagant, they had all more than earned a night to spoil themselves. Megumi had promised to come the day of the festival to help Karou finish up any last minute cooking that she needed done and as soon as noon hit, the starry eyed doctor kept true to her word. "Well Miss Karou! I must say I am very much impressed! You have really come a long way in the cooking department, everything looks positively scrumptious!"

"Thank you, Miss Megumi! But I have to say if it wasn't for you and your patient cooking lessons, I wouldn't have gotten anywhere near this far!" Karou turned to her friend and her eyes squinted quizzically. "What's in those large paper parcels, Miss Megumi? I'm almost positive we bought all the groceries we needed yesterday."

"Oh we did! These have nothing to do with the feast really. They're our costumes for this evening."

"Costumes?"

"Well of course! I thought that in honor of tonight's festivities, we could do ourselves a favor and dress up! I went to one of the newest shops in town—a good friend of mine from Hong Kong recently moved to the area and she's an excellent seamstress! She owns the shop and just so happens to specialize in hand-made formal kimonos. They're positively exquisite and I was passing by it this morning and couldn't resist!" At this, Megumi unwrapped one of the large parcels to reveal a stunning elegant white silk Kimono with vibrant amber Maple leaves and red flowers etched into the material.

Karou gasped at the sight of the elegant Kimono as Megumi held it up to herself. "Oh Megumi…it's absolutely _stunning!_"

"Isn't it? I couldn't help but think it matches my eyes and compliments my hair quite nicely, don't you think?"

Karou nodded adamantly.

Megumi re-folded the delicate silk kimono and rewrapped it. "And this one I bought because it is just perfect for you!" She pulled out a soft misty rose colored Kimono with intricate butterflies hand-stitched into the cuffs and lower portion of the skirt in white silk thread. It also came with a matching ribbon for Karou's hair. "I have to admit though, I personally think you should wear your hair down, you rarely ever do!

Karou's eyes misted over as she help up the stunning Geisha-style Kimono to herself. "Thank you—so much Megumi—I love it."

Megumi's eyes softened at the sight of the younger woman looking so overwhelmed with gratitude; she pulled Karou into a tight hug. "You are very welcome—my dear friend."


	4. Lover's Festival

Megumi sat cross-legged on the floor in front of a looking glass, arranging her hair; she couldn't quite decide which style suited her best so she asked Karou—who was in the far corner behind a dressing screen slipping into her Kimono—what she thought. Karou appeared and seeing her friend's dilemma, she smiled sympathetically. "Honestly, Megumi, anything would be lovely on you!"

"Well of course! But I want something that's different but not too outlandish."

"Well you could always put it up in a chignon….or pile it loosely on top of your head…like this." Karou scooped up Megumi's long raven hair into one hand and piled it atop her head with a few pieces looping low towards the nape of her neck and some loose tendrils framing her face. She took the decorative hair comb from Megumi and fastened the elegant knot just so then she stood back to view her handiwork. "Well? What do you think?"

Megumi turned from one side to the other; she had never worn her hair up like this but she loved how it accentuated her neck and shoulders but how it also was soft and carefree, not so pinned up and stuffy like the traditional chignon. "Miss Karou you have outdone yourself! I absolutely love it!"

"Wonderful! Now if I could only think of what to do with my hair…huhhh." The young woman blew out a defeated breath between her lips and hung her head. "I have the inclination to leave it down but at the same time, I've never done that before! I'm frankly concerned that it will just look flat and lifeless!"

"Oh that's ridiculous! It's all in the way you leave it down. Like here; you can pull the front part of it up…like this and…pile it on your head a bit off to the center. Let these pieces just…cascade down like so. And then use this comb to fasten it and then just leave the rest!"

Karou observed herself in the mirror and decided she liked what Megumi had done. "Thank you, Miss Megumi."

Suddenly, there was a loud bang on the girl's shoji. "Hey Karou! Megumi com'on! The guests are arriving and Kenshin and Sano still aren't back yet!" Yahiko shouted from the other side of the thin wall. Both women laughed and in unison replied, "We'll be right out!"

"Don't worry, Megumi, you finish getting ready and I'll go out and help Yahiko. I really don't understand why Sano insisted on inviting half the town! It would've just been fine with us here."

"Well you know Sanouske; he loves a party and a party done right. Although I have to admit I don't think it's really too much I mean it's some of the girls from the Akabeko, a few people from the Market and some of Sano's gambling buddies. All in all we've only got about fifteen to twenty people at most!

"Yes, I suppose that is true. Well I'd better go out and direct crowd traffic!" The young woman giggled as she disappeared, sliding the shoji closed behind her.

Once alone, Megumi stepped out of her yukata and once again, unwrapped the white silk Geisha kimono. She slipped into the solid white Haneri, wrapping it snuggly around her and tying it securely. Next she took up the Kimono and slipped it over her slender shoulders. Wrapping it around her, it hugged her curves than flared out at her knees where the cloak split just enough to give a subtle yet seductive peek at her lower legs. She secured the Kimono around her waist with the Obiage, Obi and Obijime and then lastly, she knotted and tightened the Obidome and observed herself in the mirror. She had to admit, she made the kimono look stunning. Contrary to the popular belief that Megumi was an uptight, buttoned up spinster who tolerated no flexibility in her principles whatsoever, Takani Megumi was a woman of many facets. She was no-nonsense and principled but she also had a deep reservoir of spirit, fire and passion and tonight, she was determined to let just a sliver of that side of her peek through. Unlike Karou who'd fastened her kimono snuggly in every area, Megumi had only fastened the Kimono tightly around her waist, hips and upper thighs. The V neckline was loose and hung just off her shoulders, dipping low enough to reveal the slightest swell of her breast; tastefully but not shockingly alluring. Her hair was in agreement with the seductive subtleties of her Kimono, piled high atop her head with sections looping low to the nape of her neck and just barely brushing the tops of her shoulders. She'd finished her look with a touch of rosy blush in addition to her trademark Ruby red painted lips and she smiled completely satisfied at the finished product. Soft buzzing echoed from the main room of the house and she decided that now was the time to join Karou in playing perfect hostess. Slipping on her house Zori, she exited and made her way to the stairs that lead down to the first level. She spotted several friendly familiar faces milling about inside and out on the engawa and spotting Kenshin by the opened Shoji, she smiled. She suddenly wondered when her feelings for the red-headed swordsman had begun to change. She'd been so beyond enchanted with him; at times she'd even fancied herself in love! But when they'd returned from Kyoto after their victorious defeat of Makoto Shishio, something had been different and the subtle changes had been taking place ever since. Perhaps she'd resigned herself that no woman would hold Kenshin's mind and heart like Karou and she no longer wanted to fool herself into believing that things would ever change. Or perhaps she'd grown tired of the empty, one-sided flirting that had characterized her and Kenshin's relationship for so long. She couldn't quite put her finger on it but then her brown eyes caught a broad back sporting a white jacket with the symbol 'bad' splayed across it in bold black, and she couldn't ignore the slight flutter in the pit of her stomach and the strong trembling in her heart that betrayed the answer. She felt heat flushing her face but she willed this feeling back down, squared her shoulders and descended the stairs.

# # # #

"Boy, Missie you sure know how to put on a party!" Sanouske exclaimed as his eyes swept the festive activity in the Shofuso; everything was so bright and colorful with traditional decorations and the bright smiling faces of their neighbors and friends only added to the magical atmosphere of the evening.

Karou smiled gratefully at Sano's praise. "Thank you, Sano!"

"Hey Kenshin! If you keep staring at the little Missie like that you're gonna burn holes into the side of her face!" Sano chortled loudly but Kenshin didn't even appear to notice.

Karou turned to look at him but she hadn't expected such an intense amethyst gaze and her sapphire eyes dropped to the floor the moment she met his eyes.

"Miss Karou…you look very radiant tonight, that you do." He breathed softly.

Karou's cheeks reddened at his ardent admission and she could only nod and utter a soft "Mm." in response.

"So where's the Fox? Isn't it about time that she should be here?" Sano commented casually as his eyes drifted once again to the front entrance.

"Oh! Miss Megumi's been here since early evening! We both got ready for the party together."

"Oh. Well then where the hell is she?"

"I'm not sure…I left her upstairs; she still had yet to get changed—Oh, wait! There she is; Miss Megumi you look positively stunning!"

Sanouske followed Karou's gaze to the stairs but what met his eyes left his heart, mind and body completely frozen.

There stood Takani Megumi, Raven hair spilling down from the top of her head in gentle subtle swoops that brushed the tops of her alabaster shoulders and white silken kimono wrapping around the gorgeous curves of her body and falling away to the floor in beautiful cascades. For the first time in his life, Sanouske Sagra was at a complete loss for words not to mention utterly breathless. He blinked several times, thinking his eyes were playing a painfully delicious trick on him but the vision of Takani in white never blurred or faded.

"Sano, if you keep gaping at Miss Megumi like that, you're likely to catch fire flies, that you are." Kenshin whispered teasingly to his companion.

"Holy Mother of Kami himself, someone slap me please, I think I'm having an illusion." Sano breathed.

*_smack*_

"What the hell, Missie!"

Karou shrugged, a snide grin playing at the corners of her mouth. "Well you asked someone to slap you, Sanouske; I was only obliging!" She winked at him then turned back to where Megumi was just reaching the second to the last step.

Suddenly, Megumi's Zori caught the hem of her Kimono and she catapulted forward. "Oh, Miss Megumi!" Karou shouted.

Megumi shut her eyes tightly and clenched her fists, preparing for her painful collision with the hardwood floor.

But it never came.

She gasped as she felt a pair of strong arms wrap around her waist and pull her safely against a solid chest. Her tiny fists pressed against firm muscle as she peeked an eye open and met the relieved faces of Karou and Kenshin.

"Whew! That was a very good save, Sano that it was!"

Megumi's eyes widened as her head turned slowly upwards to meet the dark eyes of her rescuer. "S-Sano-! I—I didn't realize you had—"

"Don't worry about it, Kitsune; just glad that I could be here to catch you when you fall."

Megumi's lips parted as she watched the expression in his eyes soften. Something told her there was more behind the meaning of his words—almost like he was making a silent promise to always be there to catch her.

"Oh! I'd almost forgotten; the lanterns outside! It's time to light them, com'on Kenshin!" Karou grabbed the former Battousai's sleeve and tugged him out after her, leaving Megumi and Sanouske mostly alone in the shofuso, save for a few of the guests that still lingered indoors.

"Well Missie and you have sure outdone yourselves, Kitsune…"

Megumi slowly steadied her footing and gently extricated herself from Sanouske's arms, giving him a small grateful smile. "Didn't know you could be such a gentleman, Rooster head." Her eyes twinkled with mischief.

Instead of his trademark lopsided grin, Sanouske felt bold and flashed Megumi a full-on brilliant smile that had the dark-haired Fox nearly buckling at the knees. "Well you know me, Fox, I'm full of surprises." He winked at her and grinned even more when he caught the rosy hue creeping into her cheeks.

Megumi could only shake her head but the tiniest of smiles graced her red lips as she touched her fingertips to her flushing cheek and turned away shyly. _Goodness, what is with me?! Not even five minutes with the rooster head and he's got me blushing every five minutes! I don't understand, he's said all manner of things to me before, flirted even in his own crass, inappropriate way but nothing he's ever said before has ever shocked me or—for kami's sake—left me wordless and blushing like a ninny!_

"You know I never would've pegged you for a fancy clothes kind of girl, Fox; I honestly never thought I'd see the day where you'd step out of that drab blue doctor's smock of yours."

_And just like that, the old Sanouske's back. _She thought morosely. "Well contrary to popular belief, Bird head, I do have the knack for letting my hair down every now and again however I'll thank you not to criticize the wardrobe of my profession; I've worked very hard for the right to wear that coat thank you very much." She was about to turn and march off when she felt warm callous fingers wrap gently around her wrist, stopping her departure.

"It was meant to be a compliment."

Megumi only stared at him skeptically.

"Com'on Meg—you know I think you look beautiful."

Megumi's cheeks flushed a bright red, catching the warmth in Sano's voice. She never believed Sanouske Sagra of all men, thought she was beautiful and—never in a million years would she have dreamed she'd actually hear him say it. She couldn't comprehend it! Suddenly, she had absolutely nothing to say and could only touch the tips of her fingers to her cheek bashfully.

"W-well I-I didn't—"

"Oh com'on Fox, no need to trip all over yourself, just say thank you."

For the first time, Megumi had no biting comeback and merely looked Sano straight in the eyes and smiled. "Thank you—Sanouske."

Sano's eyes widened, a small breath escaping his parted lips as he saw the sweet sincerity in Megumi's brown eyes.

Just then some of the musicians began playing their instruments to a traditional waltz that some of the Western foreigners had recently introduced to Japanese society. It was still fairly new but most of the guests appeared to have some level of grasp on the concept and eventually, space was cleared on the main floor and people began choosing partners and leading them out onto the dance floor.

Sano grinned to himself as he watched Kenshin lead a very shy and uncertain Karou onto the dance floor. _Why don't those two just hang it up and get hitched already? _He shook his head then spotted a tall, dark haired young man approaching Megumi who was over by the kitchen talking to Tsubame. Sanouske furrowed his eyebrows. "Now who the hell is that? And what does he think he's doing?" Sano walked through the crowd of dancers and made his way to the front shoji which was near enough to the kitchen that he could eavesdrop on the conversation without being noticed. Leaning his shoulder against the wall he gnawed on a piece of fishbone as he caught Megumi's laughter drifting his way. He loved the sound of her laughter; if only he had the guts to tell her.

"Oh Tsubame honestly! It's really not as difficult as it looks; all it is is—"

"Excuse me, Miss Takani?"

Megumi and Tsubame turned to see a tall, dark haired young man bowed slightly before Megumi, his hand across his chest like a gentleman. "I noticed that you don't seem to have an escort at the moment and I was wondering if perhaps you'd—"

"Sorry buddy, but this lady's already got someone 'escorting' her; I'm sure she's flattered though!" Sanouske appeared behind the young man, knocking him momentarily off balance by his sudden appearance.

"Sano?" Megumi looked astounded at the tall ex fighter as he crossed in front of the still-fumbling suitor who doubtlessly had every intention of asking her for a dance.

With an arm folded behind his back, Sanouske bowed low before Megumi, his other hand outstretched to her. "Might I have the pleasure of this waltz, Doc?"

_When I look into your eyes_

_It's like watching the night sky_

_Or a beautiful sunrise_

Megumi couldn't believe her eyes, much less her ears. Sanouske had just behaved like a complete ass _and _the most perfect gentleman, all in one sentence! What had gotten into him? She looked from his outstretched hand to his still bowed head, unsure of how to answer him. Then she felt a nudge from behind her and turned to see Karou giving her the gentlest encouraging smile. The younger woman nodded at her and for once, Takani Megumi decided to toss pride and better judgment to the wind for once in her life. After all, she was twenty-four and hadn't done anything for herself or for the sake of just wanting to, for years! It was about time things started to change. Smiling, Megumi gave Sanouske her hand and as the young man turned his head up and met her gaze, she offered a sweet smile and replied. "I would be honored, thank you."

Sanouske couldn't keep the triumphant grin off his face as he lead Megumi out onto the dance floor.

_Well, there's so much they hold_

_And just like them old stars_

_I see that you've come so far_

_To be right where you are_

_How old is your soul?_

"Well you certainly surprise me, Rooster head; I had no idea that you could dance, much less waltz."

Sano gave her his warm lop-sided grin. "Well to be honest, Fox I didn't think you'd actually accept my offer."

"Well it is a party isn't it? And the Lover's festival is a special occasion, I decided why the hell not?"

_Well, I won't give up on us_

_Even if the skies get rough_

_I'm giving you all my love_

_I'm still looking up_

"Oh yeah of course—just because of the party, right." He winked suggestively at her and Megumi scowled.

"Really? You always have to ruin a good moment with one of your perverse comments."

"Aww so we're having a moment, huh?"

Megumi baulked at him and shook her head furiously. "No! Of course not that's—that's not at all what I mean you—Aghrr! You always twist my words around!" She tried to turn and walk away but Sanouske only tightened his arm around her waist, pulling her even closer to him.

_And when you're needing your space_

_To do some navigating_

_I'll be here patiently waiting_

_To see what you find_

"Oh com'on now Kitsune, now isn't the time to have a fit and make a scene. Besides, we're supposed to be celebrating, remember?"

"Oh shut up, you idiot; we both know you're just making fun of me now."

"Well of course! It's what I do, silly! But you've gotta admit." And he leaned in closer to her so that his breath brushed against her cheek. "Being in my arms is a pretty big plus now, isn't it?" His brilliant arrogant smile returned, only causing Megumi's cheeks to burn even more.

_'Cause even the stars they burn_

_Some even fall to the earth_

_We've got a lot to learn_

_God knows we're worth it_

_No, I won't give up_

"Baka! You're so self-obsessed; all you think about is your stupid ego! It's so disgusting!"

_I won't give up on us_

_Even if the skies get rough_

_I'm giving you all my love_

_I'm still looking up_

Sano only laughed as Megumi finally wrested herself from him and made for the door. "Oh Kitsune don't think you're getting off that easy!" And true to his nature, he took off after her out into the garden. A heated argument with Takani Megumi was a challenge just too tempting for Sanouske Sagara to pass up.


	5. Fight For Megumi's Honor

Sano strode casually along the dusty street, fish bone between his teeth and hands shoved deep into his pockets. His white gi stuck uncomfortably to his skin; it was a hot day and the young ex fighter was sweating profusely. "Damn this bloody heat!" He mumbled to himself. Just then he was passing by the Akabeko when a group of rough looking men stepped out into the hot afternoon sun.

"No, I'm tellin' you he went to that lady doctor but she turned him down right then and there; wouldn't even take a look at his busted arm!"

"Well maybe she had a good reason? I mean after all, you know Ji-han has a bit of thing for her; fool probably faked the whole thing!"

The tallest man in the group shook his head, his thick brows furrowed together in anger. "That ain't the point! The point is, that woman's got a duty to look after any and every patient that comes her way. She doesn't have a right to question their motives and she sure as hell ain't got a right standing up my brother! She's nothing more than a scheming opium cookin' whore."

Sanouske's blood boiled and his fists clenched—his nails digging into his palms till they drew blood. No one had any right to talk about the doc that way and especially not with him around—he couldn't believe the audacity of this ruffian, smearing Megumi's reputation as a doctor was bad enough but then to start saying dirty things about _his _fox…that was it, Sano snapped.

Whirling around, he faced the group of four men. "You know, if I was you, I'd be real careful about what I said about the lady doctor around here. There are a lot of folks who love her and even a couple more who would be more than happy to knock your teeth out on account of your dirtying up her name."

"Oh yeah? And just who the hell do you think you are?!" the tall man yelled at Sanouske, shaking his fist at him and gritting his teeth.

"Well it just so happens I'm the one that falls into the category of knocking your teeth out—you're not gonna be going around talking about Megumi like that—_I won't allow it!_" And true to his word, Sanouske charged the group of four men, fists flying and eyes blazing with rage and fire.

# # # #

It was nearly four thirty and Megumi had just bid farewell to her last patient of the day; a sweet old man who'd been over-working himself in the fields and caught a spell of heat stroke. Megumi sent him home with his fretful granddaughter with the instructions of plenty of fluids and rest and _no _work in the fields. He'd protested, declaring he was as strong as an ox; his granddaughter scolded him and Megumi only giggled and smiled. "I understand, Chenpo-san but please heed my instructions; you want to still be around to welcome that little great-grandchild into this world, don't you?"

The old man took one glance at his granddaughter's swollen belly and offered a consenting smile.

They left with waves and promises to obey her instructions and Megumi turned back to her clinic, gathering up tools, medicines and linens as she prepared to tidy up and close for the day. She was just putting away the last few vials of Peppermint herb when she heard heavy footsteps outside the door followed by a slow knock. "Well that's odd—hopefully there isn't an emergency…" She wiped her hands on the front of her smock and headed for the door. Opening it, she was met with the tall, broad-shouldered form of Sano—not to mention a decent gash above his left eye, a busted bleeding lip and of course, his right hand mangled…again.

"Uh hey there, Kitsune…I know it's about time you close usually but I uh…" The young man scratched the back of his head, grinning sheepishly down at her.

Megumi Rolled her eyes but said nothing as she stepped to the side, allowing him to enter. It wasn't until she slammed the door somewhat forcefully behind him that Sano winced and braced himself for a good hot scolding.

"Really, Sano?! How many times are we going to go through this! No matter what I tell you, or Kenshin or Karou, you still manage to get yourself into these ridiculous brawls and then I'm left with fixing up your hand, _again _just for you to go out and break it _again!_"

"Hey look, I can't help it if trouble finds me, Fox okay? There's stupid, reckless people everywhere lookin' for a fight and I can't help it if they choose to cross paths with me."

She only rolled her eyes and groaned as she went to fetch the gauze, linens, disinfectant needle and thread. "Come here. Sit down right there." She instructed him firmly.

Sano grinned once her back was turned; he had to admit, he loved it when the fox ordered him around with that tone of hers—he'd never tell anyone but it always seemed to somewhat turn him on when she got all business with him; her fire always left him intrigued.

Having seated himself on one of the empty hospital cots reserved for when Megumi performed surgery, he waited patiently as Megumi settled herself on a stool before him, laying her supplies on a nearby table.

"Lean forward, please."

He did as he was told, leaning his elbows heavily on his knees.

A period of silence fell between the two but it wasn't uncomfortable; they were used to this dynamic between them.

Megumi rolled up her sleeves, tied her hair back away from her face with a long sash and started tending to Sano's wounds. "Well…this is certainly a new one; I don't think I've seen you with a—gash and bloody lip—in quite some time." She mused as her eyes fixated on his foreign injuries.

"Well they got a few more hits in on me than usual but I handled 'em just fine." The man's chocolate brown eyes sparkled somewhat triumphantly as Megumi shook her head, leaning forward as she cleaned the wound site with disinfectant.

It stung sharply at first and Sano couldn't hold back a wince.

"Sorry, Sano—this stings at first."

"Whoa really? Did I just hear and apology from you, Kitsune? Hell I must be doing something right then." He chuckled warmly.

Megumi scoffed but she couldn't hold back a smile. "Yes, you're managing to keep me more than busy; honestly even if I were to lose every other patient I have, I think you could keep my business running just fine!"

"Is that a compliment I'm hearing?"

"Oh I don't know if getting into brawls every day of the week should be considered an accomplishment, Rooster head; more like reckless behavior."

He watched her face carefully as she continued to minister to him; something in the air between them seemed different; subtle changes had been happening in their friendship since the Lover's Festival last month but Sano couldn't for the life of him, pinpoint what it was.

Megumi worked diligently but the feeling of Sano's steady gaze on her, compromised her concentration and she shifted uncomfortable in her seat.

"Somethin' botherin' you Kitsune?" His voice was surprisingly quiet and the rich timber—which Megumi had never really noticed before—caused heat to raise to her cheeks. Hoping to disguise it, she turned away from him as she reached for the needle and thread.

"This cut you have needs stitches, Sano."

"Well by all means, stitch me up Doc, I'm all _yours._"

The last word seemed to hold more emphasis to it and Megumi squirmed, suspicious of s deeper meaning behind it.

Sanouske caught the slight blush in her cheeks as she cleared her throat and he barely hid a smile. _Seems the kitsune is a little nervous or maybe even bashful…aw well that's sweet and to think it's because of me! This must be my lucky day. _Just as Megumi was turning back to face him, Sano purposely leaned in closer so that when she turned, his face was now barely inches from hers.

Megumi startled and a tiny gasp escaped her lips.

Sanouske's face was just inches from hers; she hadn't even noticed he'd moved and now his chocolate brown eyes were boring into her wine colored orbs.

"Uh-S-sano what are you doing?" She hated the sound of her voice as it shook ever so slightly. _Damn it, what is up with Sanouske and what is he trying to pull?_

"Just giving you a better look at my cut, Meg…wouldn't want you to make any mistakes now would we?" He breathed her nickname softly; the warmth of his breath ghosted across her cheeks making the few unruly raven black tendrils that framed her face, flutter ever so slightly.

In that moment, Megumi couldn't hold it back anymore; color completely flooded her cheeks and her eyes misted as she felt her heart constrict and her throat tighten. _Oh damn him! Get ahold of yourself, Takani! You're not gonna just melt in a puddle at his feet are you?! you're stronger than this, besides it's Sanouske Sagara, he shouldn't be having this effect on you!_

Megumi willed her nerves to settle and as calmly as she could, she pressed a hand to the center of his chest, pushing him back and out of her personal space.

Sanouske barely suppressed a hiss as her hand burned deliciously against his skin. He'd wondered what Megumi's skin would feel like; soft like silk had always been his first guess but this…_this _was so much more; her skin was soft but hot like white fire—and it suited his kitsune better than any sensation he could've conjured up.

Megumi felt a shock wave shiver down her spine when she felt Sano's warm copper skin burning and tingling beneath her fingers. She felt a moan rise in her throat but shoved it down, willing herself to calm down as she gently pushed him away from her. Her breath quickened, making her throat ache and her heart was pounding so hard, she almost felt dizzy. Praying to Kami that Sano wouldn't notice, she finally set to stitching up the gash just above his brow.

Next, she dabbed a little disinfectant on his lip; the ex-fighter hissed again but this time, his tongue flicked out unexpectedly as if to ease the sting, and it caught the tip of her finger before her mind could even register to pull away.

Megumi gasped, yanking her hand away and sputtering. "S-Sanouske?!"

The young man's eyes widened innocently at her. "What? It stung, Megumi! What did you expect me to do?! What the hell is that stuff anyway?"

Attempting to recover from the velvety touch of his tongue against her finger, Megumi buried her hands in her lap and squared her shoulders. "Well I'm sorry; it's disinfectant and those cuts need it or else there's a high risk of infection! You can handle the brunt of a man's knuckles hitting you in the jaw, a nasty cut to your brow—doubtlessly by a knife—and broken bones in your own hand but you wince and whine at a little disinfectant to a bloody lip?" She couldn't help but smirk skeptically at him and Sano's shoulders sagged as he pouted.

"Aw com'on Meg, give me a break will ya? It's not like I did this all on purpose alright will you just give it a rest already?"

"Honestly Sano, we both know you're not taking responsibility like you should; everyone knows you like to fight, you get into it with other people all the time and your confrontations never end any other way than fists getting thrown and broken jaws! I don't know what you expect me to think when you've made it a habit of coming into my clinic nearly every day with a broken hand and God-knows what else. Sometimes I honestly think you like getting beaten up or you're looking for some kind of outlet for your—"

Sano stood to his feet angrily and turned on Megumi, fists clenched at his sides. "Would you stop for one damn second with all of your stupid assumptions and for once listen to my side of it?!"

Megumi balked at him. She hadn't seen an outburst from Sano like this since the day she'd tried to kill herself and Sanouske had cut his own hand, stopping her. He had been so furious back then, yelling and cursing full on in her face about how completely weak and selfish she was being to think killing herself was the solution. He'd told her that she was only being a coward and that if she really wanted to make amends for what she'd done, she should turn her efforts to helping people. Megumi would never forget his words—or his anger. But right now, he seemed even more furious with her and she trembled a little at the fire flashing in his eyes.

"You're always going around making judgments about me when you don't even know the whole god-damn story, Meg! I don't get what it is with you but you really need to stop assuming things about me! Yeah I have a past and most of that past is drenched in blood and fighting but we can't all be as noble and magically reformed as Kenshin, okay? Some of us have a harder time with letting things go and putting them in the past; hell, maybe Kenshin could hear a bunch of no-good scum bags going around saying nasty things about you, dirtying up your reputation, and he'd be able to just go about his merry peaceful way but _I can't do that, Meg_!"

Suddenly, Megumi froze; Sanouske's words hitting her hard as realization slowly began to dawn on her. "You…w-what did you say?"

"Yeah, that's right; a bunch of idiots coming out of the Akabeko were sayin' stuff about you and I just—I couldn't take it!"

Megumi slowly stood to her feet, her wine eyes gazing startled upon this tall, dark-eyed man who had made a career of getting into fights and she—never thinking that there could be another motive—always assumed it had been for sport. "So—you're telling me that—you've been getting into fights—breaking your hand over and over again, and getting a bloody lip because—b-because people have been saying things about—me?"

Sanouske sighed heavily as his shoulders sagged and his hand rubbed the back of his neck. He hadn't ever intended for Megumi to find out about the reasons for his fights especially not like this. The young man had been perfectly content with letting the pretty doctor fix him up whenever he got into a scuffle; she'd scold him, he'd antagonize her playfully and they'd go about as they always had been. But something inside of him snapped and he couldn't keep it inside anymore. "Ah damn it…look Meg, I never intended for you to find out…and definitely not like this but…well the cat's out of the bag so I guess there's really no point in me lyin' about it." He dropped into a nearby chair and waited as Megumi slowly lowered herself back onto her stool, her silence indicative that she was waiting expectantly.

"Look, people are heartless and stupid and they say things; I mean I know I did when I first met ya but that's because I didn't really know what you had gone through; that you had no choice in what you were doin'. But I've known you for over a year now and I think I can safely say that I know you pretty much better than anyone else around here does. I know you've done more things than you've had to, to atone for your past, Fox and honestly, sometimes I think you do too much because of it but still—I respect you for that but honestly I…I _admire _you."

Megumi's eyes widened as they clashed with his gentle chocolate orbs. "S-Sano…"

He held up his hand. "Yeah, I know don't go givin' me a hard time and laughing at my expense here; I'm not finished yet."

A lump grew in her throat as she caught his trademark grin and the boyish sparkle in his eyes. "I admire you because you really help people and I'm not just saying when they're physically hurtin' you heal them emotionally and spiritually too; I've seen it and I've never seen anyone touch people's lives like you do; it's really a mystery to me—it's magical to me and I…well I'm honored that I've been one of the few to witness it. But when those same people that you've worked so hard to help and be there for, start goin around talking trash about ya, saying filthy shit when they don't even know you; when they haven't even seen what I've seen…it gets me angry. It gets me downright furious, Meg I can't help it! I know you hate me getting into fights and God-knows, you're plain sick and tired of having to patch me up all the time when you know damn well, I'm headin' right back out there to get myself beat up but…I just can't let those filthy people say those things about you. Not when I'm there and I have the power to stop it; not when I have what it takes to defend your honor. And if defending your honor means having a bloodied lip and a busted up hand for the rest of my life, well then that's all fine by me."

Megumi's eyes were watering now with unshed tears; the raw emotion she felt was clawing its way out and she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it together much longer—especially not when she could see the deep loyalty in Sano's eyes. The gentleness and admiration in his voice caressed her ears as she listened to him and finally, a tear managed to escape beneath her eyelashes, running a wet trail down her pale cheek.

"I'll take any bodily harm dished out to me, defending you, Meg—can't you just stop being so angry with me, long enough to see that I'd do anything for you?"

His words—spoken with such ardor and certainty—reached into her heart and touched her soul.

Catching the few tears that fell from her wine-colored eyes, Sanouske's chest ached; it took everything he had not to grab her up in his arms and kiss her senseless right then and there. But to his inexplicable astonishment, Megumi Takani did something he never thought in a thousand lifetimes, she'd ever do.

Crossing the room, she came to stand right in front of him, her eyes looking down at him with the deepest affection he'd ever seen her display outwardly. Her red lips trembled with emotion and her eyes glistened but she was smiling at him—the most breathtakingly beautiful smile he had ever seen. "Sanouske Sagara." She took his face in her hands, lightly caressing his cheek bones with her thumbs. "You are the most reckless, stubborn, hot-headed, kind-hearted and loyal man I have ever met."

His lips parted, a small gasp elicited from them as her words struck a chord in his heart. Then he almost died of pure happiness when she leaned down and placed the softest most feather-light kiss on the corner of his mouth. _Oh dear God, she's practically kissin' me…hold it together, Sagara, damn it hold yourself together! _

Her lips lingered there for a moment longer than what would probably constitute an innocent kiss between friends, and Sanouske's heart soared even higher, his breath quickened and his heart throbbed painfully. She pulled away just enough to meet his eyes and once again, she graced him with that gorgeous smile that had him thanking the gods that this was his reality.

Finally, Sanouske's soaring heart came back to earth and registering her beautiful wine colored eyes gazing meaningfully into his, he gave her a dazzling wide grin that had her cheeks flushing that irresistible rosy pink. "Well that's 'cuz I got people like you believin' in me, Meg." He scratched the back of his neck, snickering. "And you're probably gonna use this against me later but you're opinion of me…well it kinda means a lot to me."

She smiled warmly at him, her left hand once again reaching up and gently stroking his cheek. "Well that's nice to hear since I thought I was the only one who cared about what you thought of me…I mean—not that I was ever—well I guess what I meant was that—" she fumbled for a cover, fearing she'd revealed way too much to him than she had ever meant to.

But Sano only winked at her, his trademark grin playing at the corners of his mouth. "Aw well like I said before _anything_ for you, Kitsune."

Megumi felt deep affection for this man, slowly blooming in the center of her heart. For the first time, she decided she wouldn't try to reason it away, deny it or smother it—no, she was going to revel in it and let it grow.


End file.
